The Ethiopian Election of May 2005 has had many post effects on the election candidates, voters and supporters of opposition party members. As it was reported by many international media, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and many other international and local communities, many were intimidated, killed, dismantled and fled to abroad from their families and friends in fear of the harassment from the ruling party.
The harassment, however, has continued till now and many of the CUD candidates are facing problems from government security forces. One of these CUD candidates of the May 2005 election was Frehiwet Adnew Ersulo, who campaigned for the election in South Peoples Regional State, in Kambata Zone. Frehiwet did not win the election in the zone since the candidates of United Ethiopian Democratic Forces /UEDF/ swept over the zone. But there were fabricated cases by government security forces aimed at jailing Frehiwet but they were trying to buy him to become witness on the arrested CUD members.
As it was the case with many other CUD active members and candidates, the security forces have been tracing the ins and outs of most suspected candidates, including spying on the telephone calls they receive from friends and the calls they make to relatives and friends. Frehiwet has also suffered a lot in this case. He left his former work place, Institute for Curriculum Development and Research /ICDR/, and was recruited in the Addis Ababa University in the Department of Ethiopian Languages and Literature, following his graduation in Masters Degree in Folklore. He thought that his recruitment in the nation’s biggest university might give him a relief but it was in vain. There also, he was intimidated and harassed by EPRDF affiliated university lecturers and administrative workers. Every step he takes was traced and followed by some security assigned to map out him.
Recently, Frehiwet went to visit his hometown and ethnically connected Kambata friend, Muluneh Eyoel, who was the secretary of CUD, at Kaliti Prison. As usual, there at Kaliti prison, anyone going to visit the arrested CUD members and leaders has to get registered before contacting them. That time Frehiwet was one of the people who got into that black list of the EPRDF security forces. Then after, the government security forces were chasing him day and night. He was told that he will be arrested sooner or will be killed if he is not going to witness against the arrested CUD leaders. After two days of his visit of the CUD secretary and his ethnic fellow, Muluneh Eyoel, no one could trace his whereabouts.
The reasons for Frehiwet’s being hunt, as some say, is that friends of Muluneh, including Frehiwet, are speaking in Kambata language so that no one could understand what they are speaking in addition to his refusal to being witness against the CUD leaders. Many also suspect that it is a way of stopping to use their native language in prisons irrespective of the Constitution the government has had forwarded for the minorities and ethnic groups to use it freely. Those that go and visit, especially those that are with good educational background, are given warnings not make any contacts with these higher CUD leading prisoners.
This can be more substantialzed by the recent Human Rights Watch report on the Ethiopian Government. As reported by humanitarian organizations, the government has no rule of exception to its opponents or to those that forward negative criticism on the government. Human right situation is getting worse and worse from time to time in Ethiopia, especially for those that tried to confront the government. That is why people like Frehiwet are becoming victims of the stick of government security forces.
Therefore, it is getting late for the international community to take strong and fierce measure against the Ethiopian Government. Many people are living in worried and very frightened climate in the country they consider as their home. Presently, many of the citizens are feeling the worst for their country due to the country’s suffocating political atmosphere. Thus, unless the globe as a whole joins hands against such intimidation on people like Frehiwet, Ethiopia would be hell to many citizens in this wretched and aid dependent country.
